Please join me as I relive our July dining adventures - Finished!

[vald1977]

Hello everyone :)! We just returned home from ten days at Disney yesterday and I am bummed. Figured the best thing to do was relive our trip with a dining report ;).

The 411:

Our family consists of me (the mom and primary planner), DH, DS age 9 and DD age 3 (turned 4 on the trip). We stayed at POFQ from 7/9 - 7/18. We were on the regular dining plan but did do a couple of meals oop.

Our TS meals were:

Lunch at Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom Post 3
Dinner at Chefs de France Post 12
Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe Post 22
Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table Post 46
Dinner at Akershus (girls) Post 63
Dinner at Teppan Edo (boys) Post 64
Dinner at 'Ohana Post 78
Breakfast at Crystal Palace Post 83
Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe Post 94
Dinner at Chef Mickey's Post 97
T-Rex Post 100
Wishes Dessert Party Post 103

We had counter service meals from:

POFQ food court (many different times including breakfast, lunch, and dinner) Post 37
Lunch from the Land food court Post 7
Lunch at Pizza Planet Post 21
Lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express Post 65
Snacks from Goofy's Candy Co. Post 76
Lunch at Columbia Harbor House Post 93
Dinner at Casey's Corner Post 102

And some assorted snacks along the way too :).

Here is a pic of us :flower3:.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01725.jpg

[Pooh&OurHunny]

I'm in for your yummy reviews. popcorn::

[vald1977]

We had a very early flight on the 9th so we left our house around 4:00 a.m. . By the time they served a snack on our Jet Blue flight, I was starving. Here's my snack. These little cookies were yummy ;).

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01224.jpg



After a short trip on the ME, we were checking in at POFQ. I did the online check-in so the whole thing took about 30 seconds. Our order from Garden Grocer was also there for us already. We got our carry ons and groceries settled into the room and headed out for Animal Kingdom.

Everyone was starving by the time we got to Rainforest Cafe around 2:00 p.m. . We waited about 15 minutes for a table.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01234.jpg

We were taken to our table and were seated right next to this guy.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01237.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01240.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01241.jpg

Our server was very friendly but service was S-L-O-W. We ordered an appetizer of mozzarella sticks:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01245.jpg
These were your average mozzarella sticks - nothing spectacular but certainly good.

For entrees, I got the Planet Earth Pasta. I get this dish everytime we go to RFC. It is penne pasta with sausage, marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh grated parmesean. Yum!
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01243.jpg

DH got a burger and fries. He liked it :).
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01242.jpg

DS got the mac and cheese. He said it was just okay.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01244.jpg

DD got pasta with marinara sauce. She didn't eat much of it but liked what she had.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01246.jpg

All in all, this meal was just okay. It took almost two hours from start to finish and we didn't even have dessert. That is just a little long for me. This meal was OOP as RFC does not accept the regular dining plan. With tip the bill was $73.

Overall grade - C+

After spending some time in the AK, we stopped and used a couple of snack credits to share some homemade ice cream sandwiches in Dinoland. These are awesome. You can have them with oatmeal cookies or chocolate chip. We got two chocolate chip ones and still had a ton we couldn't eat. They are huge!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01261.jpg

Overall grade - A

[vald1977]

I'm in for your yummy reviews. popcorn::
Hi Pooh&OurHunny! Thanks for joining in :)!

[accountingbabe08]

welome back looking forward`to your reviews.

[vald1977]

welome back looking forward`to your reviews.

:goodvibes Thanks for reading!

[vald1977]

Our next day was at Epcot. We had lunch at the Land food court.
Dh and DD shared a chinese plate.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01291.jpg

I had the rotisserie chicken with double mashed potatoes because DS wanted some too.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01290.jpg

DS got mac and cheese with grapes and a pudding.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01294.jpg

We all shared a slice of chocolate cake
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01292.jpg

and cheesecake for dessert.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01293.jpg

This food was very good! We all kind of shared and had more than enough only using three CS credits. They have quite a variety at this location as well.

Overall grade - A

[butiflfeet]

I don't know any better way to get over the "Back from Disney World Blues" than to do dining reviews!

Thanks for sharing :flower3: I'm looking forward to more!

[vald1977]

I don't know any better way to get over the "Back from Disney World Blues" than to do dining reviews!

Thanks for sharing :flower3: I'm looking forward to more!
:wizard: Thanks for reading. I really should go to bed since it is back to work tomorrow but I am having too much fun ;).

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Great update. When we ate at the Rainforest (I thought we had the slowest service too....we could have eaten at a signature meal for the time we ate at the Rainforest and I wasn't too happy with the food)
I love Sunshine Season...I think they have the best CS and I had the rotisserie chicken too and shared it with my son b/c he doesn't eat chicken nuggets...he likes rotisserie or grilled chicken. Can't wait to read more yummy reviews from you. Thank you for sharing

[dd50]

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Can't wait to hear more.

[vald1977]

Our dinner was at Chefs de France. It is one of our faves even though it often gets iffy reviews. I am happy to say it didn't disappoint :yay: . Our PS time was 5:10. We checked in about 10 minutes early and were seated immediately. Our server was wonderful but I am afraid I didn't note his name. He was very pleasant and attentive. All of our meals started with a warm, crusty roll.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01308.jpg

DH and I both decided on the French menu which lets you pick an app., entree, and dessert for a set price. You can order this meal on the dining plan.

DH started with the salad but got it with house vinagrette instead of the blue cheese listed on the menu. he loved this salad.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01312.jpg

I got the French Onion Soup and it was divine! I would say it was the best soup I have ever eaten. There was lots of cheese and croutons and it was piping hot. It was soooo good.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01309.jpg

The kids both got an app. with their dinners as well. They both chose the cheese pastry. It also came with a small side salad which was nice. Neither of the kids much cared for this but DH and I both loved the pastry and I enjoyed the salad as well.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01311.jpg

For our entrees, DH and I both got the chicken. We both thought is was delish.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01314.jpg

Both kids got the breaded chicken strips served with pasta. This came with a tomato sauce on the side but we didn't use it.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01313.jpg

While we were enjoying our dinner, we were visited by a little guest:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01316.jpg

This was really cute and the cast member with Remy was outstanding. The kids enjoyed this a lot.

When it was time for dessert, the servers brought out a special birthday treat for DD who was turning 4 on the trip. They sang a birthday song to her and presented her with this:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01317.jpg
There was a candle for her to blow out in the cookie before we took the pic.

Both kids picked the chocolate ice cream as their dessert.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01318.jpg

And DH and I both chose the puff choux with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. This was pretty good. Not my favorite dessert and rather messy to eat.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01319.jpg

We just love this restaurant and I am glad we fit it into our schedule.

Overall grade - A

[Pooh&OurHunny]

We love Chefs de France. My husband got some chicken dish and my son got what your kids got but my son didn't like it. He did enjoy my husband meal b/c he ate half of it. When we go there next time I have to order from the adult menu for my son (he might just eat half but he loved that chicken dish).

[vald1977]

Great update. When we ate at the Rainforest (I thought we had the slowest service too....we could have eaten at a signature meal for the time we ate at the Rainforest and I wasn't too happy with the food)
I love Sunshine Season...I think they have the best CS and I had the rotisserie chicken too and shared it with my son b/c he doesn't eat chicken nuggets...he likes rotisserie or grilled chicken. Can't wait to read more yummy reviews from you. Thank you for sharing

Sunshine Seasons! I knew there was a name for that place! I can't say I blame your son. I would much rather have some rotiserrie chicken than nuggets any day ;).

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Can't wait to hear more. Thanks for reading :sunny:.

[Steph9072]

Love your reviews so far...can't wait to read more. Thanks for sharing.

[Alice28]

You *know* I'm in GF.:woohoo:popcorn::

[chipndales]

Aw, can't wait to read more! Your kids are so cute. :)

[Alice28]

K- totally down with those AK ice cream sandwiches. Holy moly those look deadly good. Keep em coming Val- screw work, right!?! You did a great job with all the food pics- i had crummy lean cuisine for dinner so the food is lookin' MIGHTY yummy!

[TigerKat]

Great so far!!!!:thumbsup2

[vald1977]

Love your reviews so far...can't wait to read more. Thanks for sharing.

You *know* I'm in GF.

Aw, can't wait to read more! Your kids are so cute.

Great so far!!!!

Hi all! Thanks for reading :).

Alice28,
Yes, those ice cream sandwiches are one of the Disney treats I dream about ;).

[vald1977]

Our next day was spent at the Studios. I wanted to try lunch at Pizza Planet so that is where we went.

I don't know why I didn't get pics of all the food here. There were many trips to the bathroom, they didn't give us our salads so an extra trip back to the counter for that and just some general confusion so I blame the lack of pics on that. Here is what I did snap:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01340.jpg
This was the kid's cheese pizza. My DD had already snuck a couple of bites before I took the pic but you get the gist. She got grapes and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert as well.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01338.jpg
This was my veggie pizza.

It came with a side salad.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01339.jpg

I am pretty sure DH had a pepperoni pizza.

The dessert offerings were pretty bleak here. You could either pick a rice cripy treat or the pre-packaged choc. chip cookie that comes with the kid's meals.

My pizza wasn't very good. It was kind of doughy and under-cooked. It reminded me of a microwave Mama Celeste type pizza. The salad was fine. We took the rice crispy treats back to the hotel for later.

Everyone else liked their food but didn't think it was anything special. The kids did enjoy playing some games here.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01341.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01342.jpg

Overall grade - C ( I would have given it a D but since everyone else thought it was a smidge better than I did, I went with a C ;) )

[vald1977]

Our dinner this evening was at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. We had never eaten here before and DS was especially excited about trying it. We had been at the park since 9:00 a.m. so we were happy to be seated right away at our 5:20 pm ressie time. DD was pretty grumpy by this point.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01369.jpg

At least the boys were in good spirits.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01371.jpg

Our server was not really into the spirit of the restaurant. It was okay because cranky pants DD wasn't really in the mood.

The kids each got an app. with their dinners and picked the chicken noodle soup.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01374.jpg

Both of them loved this and DD licked her bowl clean.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01375.jpg

For some reason I didn't take a picture of their entrees. One had mac and cheese and one had chicken nuggets. Then they shared. DS said it was all good.

For my entree, I got the meat loaf.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01376.jpg

This was very good.

DH got the fried chicken.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01377.jpg

He had asked for corn but they brought it with the green beans. He decided to just let it go instead of waiting for them to change it out. Our server was slow on top of not being in character.

DD perked up a bit once some food was in her belly.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01373.jpg

At dessert time, the servers brought the ice cream for DD and had everyone sing for her.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01378.jpg

Both kids had a build your own sundae for their dessert.

DH and I both had Dad's brownie sundae for dessert. We didn't get to use the view finder dessert menus either :(.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01380.jpg

The dessert was good with the exception of the lime green Mickey candy. That was hard as a rock and nearly broke my tooth.

We liked this meal okay but wouldn't rush back anytime soon. It would have been better with a different server and less cranky kid.

Overall grade - B-

[Alice28]

fantastic reviews! LOL at the first pic of you and DD- the look on her face cracked me up. The brownie sundae looks delish.

[SSRJen]

Is the brownie in that sundae warm? I always wondered that when seeing it in pictures.

[crazyfordisney2000]

So far so good!! Loving your report. When we went, we LOVED Pizza Planet. Either it's our obsession with pizza or the fact we were one of maybe 4 families (at the most) in the restaurant! Was a very relaxing meal.

[Ciciwoowoo]

Great review so far! I look forward to reading more!

:goodvibes

[mermaid&cinderella]

Love your review! Cant wait for more!

[tlynk]

Excellent reviews!

[T16GEM]

DH and I both had Dad's brownie sundae for dessert. We didn't get to use the view finder dessert menus either :(.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01380.jpg

The dessert was good with the exception of the lime green Mickey candy. That was hard as a rock and nearly broke my tooth.



Overall grade - B-

Hey Val! Loving the report so far!

This looks soooooooo good!!!

Yes is the brownie warm? I love a nice hot brownie with ice cream! :cloud9:

I love the pic of Remy at Chefs De France! Shelby was all excited when she saw that too. Was he anamatronic? What did he do?

Loving the grading system by the way!

[jrsmom]

Hey Val! Loving the report so far!

This looks soooooooo good!!!

Yes is the brownie warm? I love a nice hot brownie with ice cream! :cloud9:

I love the pic of Remy at Chefs De France! Shelby was all excited when she saw that too. Was he anamatronic? What did he do?

Loving the grading system by the way!

Great reviews! Looking forward to more.

[SweetMommy]

Awesome reviews:cool1: Keep em coming :thumbsup2

[MickeyNicki]

Count me in, the kids are adorable!

[mi*vida*loca]

Great reviews! I understand the crabbiness in the restaurant at times. DD is the same way at times! :rolleyes1

[Ms. Heimlich]

Great reviews! I understand the crabbiness in the restaurant at times. DD is the same way at times! :rolleyes1

Hehehe.... I get that way at times!!! :lmao:

Great reviews!

[iluvpluto27]

Really enjoying your reviews. Looking forward to the next installment.

[vald1977]

Hi all! Thanks for reading and thanks for the compliments on the kids :).

The brownie at PTC wasn't really warm that I can remember. There was hot fudge on it though so you still got the nice contrast of warm fudge with the cold ice cream. The portion was really huge too. Definitely a good dessert!

[vald1977]

Our next day was DD's 4th birthday. She was so excited when she woke up and found Mickey had snuck in and decorated the hotel room ;). This was also our first day at the MK. We got there early and stayed until about noon time. Then we headed back to POFQ for lunch. We had lots of meals at the food court so I will just do one review for all of them.

The food court is small at POFQ but we have always found the food to be good, CM's very nice and the food court itself very quiet and uncrowded. Here are some various pics of the food court itself.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01538.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01547.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01543.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01545.jpg

As you can see, they have a kid's table with blocks and coloring. They also have a big tv so you can watch Disney Channel while you eat if you want.

Now onto the food.

Here is a breakfast platter. We found these to be pretty good. Everything was hot. The bacon could have been a bit crisper but a filling breakfast to be sure.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01638.jpg

Here are some cinnamin buns we got one day. You can get these as a dessert or snack credit.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01792.jpg

These muffins were especially yummy. They could either be a dessert or snack credit also.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC02044.jpg

And here are the famous beignets! You can get three as either a dessert or snack. Yes, they are messy but they sure are good.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC02046.jpg

Now onto some lunch and dinner food.

Here we have chicken parmesean. This was only okay - nothing special.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01551.jpg

Here is spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were surprisingly decent.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01435.jpg

Both of these came with a small salad.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01438.jpg

Here are some taco salads. Dh's on the top is just lettuce, cheese and meat. Mine on the bottom is cheese, onions, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream and meat. These were absolutely deicious and way too much to eat alone. I barely put a dent in mine. The taco shell was fresh and the meat well-seasoned. I could def. see sharing one of these puppies. I believe they also had olives to add if you wanted. You order the salads and the CMs put the toppings on for you. It is not like some rest. where you build them yourself.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01550.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01791.jpg

Here's a double cheeseburger and fries. Dh had this and said it was good. Notice the wheat bun. That was the trend at all the Disney locations. Personally, I enjoy wheat bread but some people may not.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01436.jpg

And my yummy steak sandwich. You can get this with fries or the chips. I love these chips! So good. You can also get mushroom, onion, and peppers on your sandwich. I had one with all three on it and one with just mushroom. These were also gigantic and easy to share.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC02043.jpg

This is an order of chicken nuggets and fries (adult portion). These were the standard nuggets you can get anywhere in the World. Very good and a big portion.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01793.jpg

These are a couple of kid's meals. The mac and cheese looked disgusting. DS said it tasted a little strange too. The second is chicken nuggets.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01552.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01442.jpg

Last but not least, some desserts. These could all be snacks as well.

Double scoop of ice cream. The flavors available were chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mint chocolate chip and cookies and cream.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01553.jpg

Frosted brownie and some cupcakes:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01439.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01440.jpg

Overall grade - B+

[PixieDustandEeyore]

That last cupcake looks so yummy!
Great reviews... did you enjoy staying at POFQ? The foodcourt looks cute.

[kimgof]

Great review! Love your grading system. We ate at 50s PT and if you don't have a great server it just isn't as good. Sorry your server was sub par

[Alice28]

Mmm- good eats at POFQ!

[MiNniEDrEameR]

I'm totally in!!! Nothing like parallel dining reviews. By the way I also bought the shirt hat combo that you wore to 50's and love it!!!cant wait to hear more:cool1:!!!

[MickeyNicki]

Sigh...I miss those wonderful taco salads from POFQ...just 3 more months until I can scarf one down!

[tlynk]

Goodness, I haven't eaten yet and now I'm hungry after looking at your pictures! I wanted to stay at POFQ for my next trip, but my travel companions wanted to stay at CBR instead. To make a long story short we upgraded to a deluxe and aren't staying at either place now, but those the famous beignets are calling my name. I might need to make a trip over to POFQ just to try them. They look yummy! Thanks for sharing.

[Disneyof3]

Great reviews, keep them coming. The pictures are excellent. We always stay at POR and have never ventured over to the french side. Next trip we plan on it and the taco salade and the beignets are on our mind. Thanks

[vald1977]

Hello all. Thanks for reading :).

Pixiedustandeeyore,
We really enjoyed POFQ. This was our second stay there and I am thinking we will stay there again next year. We have stayed at SSR, WL, POFQ, and POP and while they all had their plusses, I really like the small size of POFQ. I plan to do a review of our stay over on the official thread on the resorts board later tonight.

MickeyNicki,
I am jealous of your upcoming trip! While I love where we live, I aways wish we could be closer to Disney. Flying is a big budget buster.

[vald1977]

Since it was our DD's birthday and Cinderella is her favorite, Cinderella's Royal Table was our choice for dinner. We had never eaten in the castle so this would be a new experience for everyone. We headed out to dinner and it started raining. No problem. We had our ponchos. Well, as we reached the MK, the rain turned into a monsoon. I have never seen it rain as hard as it did that day. The storm drains could not keep up and people were wading in 6 inches of water in some places. We had planned on riding some rides before dinner but instead took refuge under the funnel cake stand with about 50 other people. DD decided to snooze in her stroller.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01451.jpg

The storm stopped right about the time we needed to check in for our ressie so we waded to the castle. After checking in, we waited in the lobby area to take our picture with Cinderella. You get the picture package included in this meal which is nice. We chose to just get the pic with DD and Cinderella. She was still sleepy and chilly though.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01452.jpg

We only waited a few minutes and then we were invited to dinner. They give you a cute invitation from Cinderella and announce your family name. You are then taken up the royal staircase to the dining room. I really liked how this was set up. It felt special climbing the steps to the castle. We were seated at a table with a window overlooking fantasy land.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01457.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01454.jpg

Some shots of the interior of the dining room:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01458.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01456.jpg

This is the menu. Isn't it purty?

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01460.jpg

The menu at CRT is a fixed-price three course dinner. This means that you get the appetizer even on the dining plan (this is a 2TS meal). The gratuity is also included.

Before the appetizers, we were brought out a nice basket of rolls with whipped butter.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01464.jpg

For appetizers, both kids once again picked the chicken noodle soup and once again they loved it.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01467.jpg

Dh had the BLT salad sans dressing. He said this was okay.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01466.jpg

I had the castle salad. This was only okay as well. I had expected more berries.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01465.jpg

While we were eating our appetizers, Cinderella's mice, Suzy and Perla, came around for a visit. The kids were also given their wand and sword.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01472.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01469.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01470.jpg

The big kid liked the sword too.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01471.jpg

It was then time for the Fairy Godmother's show. This was very cute and Suzy and Perla were in the mix as well. Here is a little snippet of the magic part:

http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/?action=view&current=MOV01482.flv

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01477.jpg

After the show, DD was brought out a little cake with a candle. She thought this was really yummy - especially before dinner.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01485.jpg

It was then time for the entrees. DD got chicken nuggets which was served with mashed potatoes and green beans.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01489.jpg

DS got a hot dog which was served with the same.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01487.jpg

Neither of them ate much of these. DS was not impressed with the wheat bun on the hot dog and DD had eaten a bowl of soup and chocolate cake already.

DH got the prime rib. I tried this and it was very good prime rib. Although, I do need to complain a bit about the portion size on the accompanying potatoes and asparagus. Way too skimpy.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01488.jpg

I had the lavender chicken. This was interesting. You could definitely taste the lavender which was different. While I didn't love it, I thought it was good. I did not care for the grilled bread that it was served with.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01486.jpg

It was then onto desserts.

Both kids got the ice cream sundae. This was really cute and tasty. I loved the little chocolate crown!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01494.jpg

DH and I both chose the chocolate cream cheese buckle and Good Lord this was a thing of beauty! We both agreed that this was the best dessert of the trip. It was served warm and oozed with chocolately cream-cheese goodness.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01495.jpg

This was a really nice birthday treat for DD. Everyone left smiling.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01491.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01493.jpg

Overall grade - B . It would have been higher had some of the food been just a smidgen better.

[Pooh&OurHunny]

great update. We have done CRT for breakfast. Wondering if we should try it for dinner. My son wants to eat in the castle again. Would you go back to CRT for dinner? What are the other choice of dinner for the kids? Thanks

[vald1977]

great update. We have done CRT for breakfast. Wondering if we should try it for dinner. My son wants to eat in the castle again. Would you go back to CRT for dinner? What are the other choice of dinner for the kids? Thanks

Sadly, I think the only two kid's choices were the hot dog and the nuggets. I was hoping for a pasta dish because DD loves spaghetti but no such luck. We would do the dinner again but not for a couple of years. It was a really nice experience, just not one I feel compelled to rush back to.

[disprincess2002]

Thanks for the great reviews! We have CRT-dinner booked for Aug, but my DD is worried about the kids choices. She does not like hot dogs or the breaded chicken tenders. Did they offer fish or pasta? I'm a little worried about the options for her,any info would be a life saver!!:cutie:

[disprincess2002]

I see you answered my ?'s too! Thanks!

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Thanks for your response...I guess we will go for breakfast again b/c dinner selection is not good for my son. He does not eat hot dog or chicken nuggets. He would eat pasta or grilled chicken.

[eventamy]

Sadly, I think the only two kid's choices were the hot dog and the nuggets. I was hoping for a pasta dish because DD loves spaghetti but no such luck. We would do the dinner again but not for a couple of years. It was a really nice experience, just not one I feel compelled to rush back to.

We've been for lunch and dinner. They offer a complimentary bowl of pasta to underage kids (under 3) as my youngest daughter was both times we went. The second time I was aware of this and asked that my older DD also receive the pasta as she (and her sister and I) is a pescetarian. She has the fish for dinner the first time and didn't enjoy it. Loved the plain buttered pasta though!

[Alice28]

What a great review! And a lovely pic of you and DS. :goodvibes

[mlittig]

Awesome reviews :woohoo: Love the pictures of the food :yay: and of the cute kids too :)

[dd50]

We are going there for dinner also because my DD(15) always wanted to eat it the castle. Hopefully we will enjoy the food. Seems to be a hit or miss. Glad you enjoyed yourself.

[plutosgirl]

Great review and pictures! Makes me want to plan another trip!

[MinnieNurse]

I am enjoying your reviews. It helps to pass the time until our next trip. We did dinner at CRT a few years ago and while the food was just okay I just love the whole atmosphere.

[natalielongstaff]

great review of CRT, shame about the mosoon on the way in though :guilty:

[MelanieC]

Keep em coming - I'm enjoying :)

[lissawynn]

Great reviews, Val! I had the same meal as Matt at CRT, but I started with the soup. I loved the dessert, too.

[wilma-bride]

Still loving these reeviews - we have never stayed at POFQ but have visited the food court on many an occasion (mainly for beignets ;)) and found it to be really good.

[vald1977]

Hey Val! Loving the report so far!

This looks soooooooo good!!!

Yes is the brownie warm? I love a nice hot brownie with ice cream! :cloud9:

I love the pic of Remy at Chefs De France! Shelby was all excited when she saw that too. Was he anamatronic? What did he do?

Loving the grading system by the way!

Sorry I didn't see this question earlier. Remy was animatronic. He kind of squeaked answers to questions. Like the CM asked him if he wanted to go live with DD and he shook his head yes and squeaked "mm-hmm". The CM working with him was fantastic. He really was neat to see.

I talked to DH and he reminded me that our server at Chefs de France was named Pierre and he was actually from Italy. He was a great server and not hard to look at either ;).

Lissawyn,
Glad you enjoyed your dinner at CRT too :).

Wilma-bride,
I don't think a trip to Disney would be the same without at least one beignet ;).

eventamy,
That is great to know about the pasta! It is kind of a shame for a 2TS meal to have such a small selection for kids.

[vald1977]

After a late night of watching Wishes and enjoying MK, we slept in a bit and grabbed lunch at POFQ before going to Epcot. DD and I had a reservation at Akershus and DH and DS were going to Teppan Edo.

DD and I checked in and had to wait about 15 minutes for our name to be called. Once we went in, DD got her picture taken with Belle. The professional one came out really great. The picture package was included at this 1TS meal. IMO, it should be included in all of them.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01585.jpg

We were taken to our table and our server took the drink orders and told us to help ourselves to the appetizer buffet. Our server here was very nice (and TALL).

DD and I got ourselves some food from the buffet.

DD's plate:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01589.jpg

She had a roll, some cheese cubes and some fruit.

Here is my plate:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01587.jpg

I had a little salad, a roll, cheese cubes, some salami, some cold grilled asparagus (yucky), a cold pasta salad (good), and something else in the back that I couldn't identify. I thought it was going to be potato salad but it wasn't. It was mushy and not good.

For our entrees, DD got the kid's pizza.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01593.jpg

I didn't try this but it sure didn't look very good. DD just kind of picked at it.

I got the traditional kjottkake.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01594.jpg

I didn't care for it. I will say that there wasn't really anything that appealed to me on the menu here. It was cooked well and nice and hot. I just didn't care for the flavor.

While we were eating, the princesses started coming around to the tables. DD was in her glory as she watched them one after another enter the room.

We saw Cinderella:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01595.jpg

Aurora:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01596.jpg

Snow White:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01602.jpg

And Ariel. All the princesses were nice but Ariel was fantastic.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01598.jpg

Once it was dessert time, DD was brought out a cupcake to celebrate her birthday as well as a card signed by all the princesses.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01603.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01605.jpg

We were also served a dessert platter to share consisting of rice cream, schoolbread, and a chocolate mousse cake. The last two were divine. I didn't care for the rice cream.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01606.jpg

I don't think I would do dinner here again. I just didn't care for the food. I do plan to try it for breakfast next trip. The princess interaction was great!

Overall grade - C

[vald1977]

While DD and I were eating with princesses, DH and DS were at Teppan Edo. I wasn't there so I can't say first hand but they loved this meal. Sadly, we only have one camera so DH couldn't take any pictures here. They loved the food, loved the show and want to go back on our next trip.

Overall grade (by DH & DS) - A

This night we also stayed to watch Illuminations. The park was gloriously uncrowded and there was a slight breeze so it wasn't so hot. We got a great spot in Germany front and center. While I held our spot, DH got us a couple of pretzels to share. Oddly, one was stale and one wasn't. I was lucky and got a piece of the one that was fresh ;). These were only okay. They get marks off for inconsistancy.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01623.jpg

Overall grade - C-

[vald1977]

The next morning, DH and DS went to DTD to watch the new Transformers movie. A little tip, movie tickets for the DTD theater are only $6 each for movies before noon. I thought that was a pretty good deal!

DD and I swam in the pool and took our time heading over to DTD by boat. Once there, we stopped for lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express. I love this place. It is such a bargain on the dining plan.

It was pretty empty at 11:45 a.m. . Their menu is huge so I was a bit overwhelmed. DD was set on spaghetti and meatballs. This wasn't on the kid's menu so I asked if I could get the kid's pasta with sauce and just pay for the meatballs OOP. The cashier was fine with this. I ordered rigatoni with chicken bolgnese. This came with a choice of cearar or house salad. We both got to choose a dessert. DD picked a chocolate chip cookie and I picked a brownie. We then filled up our fountain drinks and picked a table. They bring your food out to you on real plates and you use real silverware and glasses at this counter service place.

Since they were sitting in front of us we both started with our desserts.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01650.jpg

These are freshly baked and so good. These brownies are one of my favorite treats in WDW. We both gobbled up the sweets.

Our food came out quickly. I should note that kids get plastic tableware and glasses here. Here is dd's spaghetti and meatballs after I had cut it up for her. The cashier didn't charge me for the meatballs after all. I asked him when we had completed our order and he smiled and said he had taken care of it for me - very nice. I tried a piece of meatball and it was only okay. DD didn't eat a whole lot but she had eaten that big cookie first.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01652.jpg

Here is my side salad. I didn't enjoy the dressing on this. It had a citrusy taste that was off to me.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01654.jpg

Here is my lunch. I am pretty sure they brought me the wrong dish. I had this last year and I am pretty sure it had a pink sauce at the time. This looked and tasted like chicken alfredo. I could have said something but didn't feel like it at the time. To be honest, I just wasn't all that hungry. I took a few bites of this and if you like chicken alfredo, this was very good. Unfortunately, I don't.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01653.jpg

We have eaten here before and will eat here again. Next time I want to try a flatbread or the chicken.

Overall grade - B- .

[NorweJenNY]

I'd like to try that chicken alfredo! :goodvibes

BTW... we were down there at the same time... and we had two dinners at POFQ (stayed at POR). I fell in love with the ribs there! :lovestruc My family enjoyed the plethora of options.

I actually liked the mac 'n cheese at POFQ! I thought it was Stoffer's-like, but it tasted like it had extra butter in it... that's the flavor I love! Hubby is more of a blue box kinda guy usually, but he actually liked the POFQ mac 'n cheese so much that he got some for himself on our second trip there.

[JOEYDIS]

After a late night of watching Wishes and enjoying MK, we slept in a bit and grabbed lunch at POFQ before going to Epcot. DD and I had a reservation at Akershus and DH and DS were going to Teppan Edo.

DD and I checked in and had to wait about 15 minutes for our name to be called. Once we went in, DD got her picture taken with Belle. The professional one came out really great. The picture package was included at this 1TS meal. IMO, it should be included in all of them.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01585.jpg

We were taken to our table and our server took the drink orders and told us to help ourselves to the appetizer buffet. Our server here was very nice (and TALL).

DD and I got ourselves some food from the buffet.

DD's plate:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01589.jpg

She had a roll, some cheese cubes and some fruit.

Here is my plate:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01587.jpg

I had a little salad, a roll, cheese cubes, some salami, some cold grilled asparagus (yucky), a cold pasta salad (good), and something else in the back that I couldn't identify. I thought it was going to be potato salad but it wasn't. It was mushy and not good.

For our entrees, DD got the kid's pizza.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01593.jpg

I didn't try this but it sure didn't look very good. DD just kind of picked at it.

I got the traditional kjottkake.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01594.jpg

I didn't care for it. I will say that there wasn't really anything that appealed to me on the menu here. It was cooked well and nice and hot. I just didn't care for the flavor.

While we were eating, the princesses started coming around to the tables. DD was in her glory as she watched them one after another enter the room.

We saw Cinderella:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01595.jpg

Aurora:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01596.jpg

Snow White:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01602.jpg

And Ariel. All the princesses were nice but Ariel was fantastic.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01598.jpg

Once it was dessert time, DD was brought out a cupcake to celebrate her birthday as well as a card signed by all the princesses.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01603.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01605.jpg

We were also served a dessert platter to share consisting of rice cream, schoolbread, and a chocolate mousse cake. The last two were divine. I didn't care for the rice cream.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01606.jpg

I don't think I would do dinner here again. I just didn't care for the food. I do plan to try it for breakfast next trip. The princess interaction was great!

Overall grade - C

I had breakfast there last year and it was fantastic. I love your reviews

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Great updates...when I got the pretzels at Epcot it was stale...I was so disappointed but I have to try it again...I love pretzels

[vald1977]

Great updates...when I got the pretzels at Epcot it was stale...I was so disappointed but I have to try it again...I love pretzels

We had one at the MK one day that was filled with cream cheese. That was sooooo good - much better than the stale one at Epcot.

[vald1977]

I had breakfast there last year and it was fantastic. I love your reviews

Glad to hear the breakfast was good :). I am looking forward to it.

[vald1977]

I'd like to try that chicken alfredo! :goodvibes

BTW... we were down there at the same time... and we had two dinners at POFQ (stayed at POR). I fell in love with the ribs there! :lovestruc My family enjoyed the plethora of options.

I actually liked the mac 'n cheese at POFQ! I thought it was Stoffer's-like, but it tasted like it had extra butter in it... that's the flavor I love! Hubby is more of a blue box kinda guy usually, but he actually liked the POFQ mac 'n cheese so much that he got some for himself on our second trip there.

Maybe the mac and cheese we got was a funky batch or something? Happy to hear it is usually good :). I am sure DS will sample it again on a future trip.

[vald1977]

We eventually met up with DH and DS. DH was nice enough to procure one of my favorite treats from the Pleasure Island section of DTD. I wasn't the least bit hungry but had to take a couple of bites anyway as I love these little deep-fried delacacies ;).

Doh-bar from Cookes of Dublin (AKA deep-fried Snickers bar)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01659.jpg

These pups are oh so bad for ya but just so darn yummy.

Overall grade - A

[mi*vida*loca]

I highly recommend Akershus breakfast! We did it in March and it was great! :goodvibes

[irongirlof12]

yum yum popcorn:: enjoying your review :thumbsup2

[Alice28]

A deep fried Snickers bar? OMG--------:eek::lovestruc

[vald1977]

DS and I split off from DD and DH for a bit as he has always been my shopping buddy. The other two just tolerate it while DS and I love to look for a bargain. It was a long, hot day at DTD so a stop at Goofy's Candy Co. was in order. We also got some stuff there on another occasion so I will do a joint review.

We first ordered a couple of frozen drinks. These are included as a snack as long as you don't do the build a cup option.

I had a frozen coke.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01660.jpg

This was very refreshing!

DS got a glacier apple which was really just cold apple juice. The lady working the counter was very nice and let us sample all of the flavors. Most of them were very sweet for my taste. DS enjoyed the apple though.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01661.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01662.jpg

We also had to try some build your own snacks! We both chose pretzel rods and both agree the results were delicious. While we were waiting, one of the bakers broke one of the giant oreo-like cookies with chocolate fudge in the middle. She was nice enough to let us sample it and that was fantastic too. Our pretzel rods were very filling and we had plenty to save. We ate them over a couple days.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01663.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01665.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01664.jpg

On another visit, we used more snack credits to get some other goodies.

We got a chocolate peanut butter cookie:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC02007.jpg

A Mickey crunch cookie:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC02006.jpg

A MnM cup:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC02008.jpg

A hunk of chocolate caramel fudge:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC02009.jpg

And a Mickey rice crispy treat:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC02005.jpg

In the name of research, I personally taste tested all of these treats and can tell you they were all delicious! I love using some of our snack credits at Goofy's and will continue to do so on future trips :).

Overall grade - A

[Alice28]

gee, all those treats look really yucky and nasty (as the drool shorts out my computer...)

YUM!

[vald1977]

Dinner this night was at 'Ohana. We had eaten here back in 2004 when there was still rice on the menu and DD was just a little peanut causing me morning sickness. We had such a great meal that time. We had a table overlooking the fireworks and the food was outstanding. Then they changed the menu. And we had been afraid to go back. No way would it live up to the first visit. A couple of weeks before the trip, I started wishing for dinner here. Low and behold, there was an opening on the night I wanted. Figuring it was fate, I snagged it ;).

We arrived at the Poly right in time (accidently) to watch the torch lighting ceremony.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01666.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01667.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01669.jpg

We also got our leis outside and then headed up to check in.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01677.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01686.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01685.jpg

We waited about 15 minutes and then we were shown to our table. It was the exact same table we had been seated at in 2004. Of course, there wouldn't be fireworks this meal, but looking at Space Mountain while eating is always fun. Our server was Daniella and she was the best server of our trip (and we had a few good ones). She fussed over the kids and took great care of us.

We were brought our bread and salad, both of which I loved.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01689.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01690.jpg

This is DH's attempt at humor since I kept taking pictures of all the food.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01692.jpg

Funny, eh :rolleyes1 ;) ?

We were also given the dipping sauces. One was sweet and sour, one a peanut and another that I forget. I tried the peanut but didn't care for it. The sweet and sour was good on the dumplings but I didn't try it on the meat. And the third was supposed to by spicy so I didn't try that one.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01691.jpg

Out came the chicken wings and pork dumplings. I think I could have eaten the whole serving of both of these by myself! To die for good.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01696.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01698.jpg

Next we were served the sides of noodles and veggies. The noodles were a crowd pleaser around our table. No one else eats brocoli so I was the only one who had any. The veggies were a little undercooked, imo.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01699.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01700.jpg

And out came the skewers of steak, pork, and turkey. There was shrimp that soon followed. Only DH ate the shrimp. He found it good. I really liked the steak and pork but didn't care for the turkey as much. It could have been the peanut sauce I drizzled on but it had a strange flavor to me. It didn't matter as I was so full from the others.

'Ohana is a great atmosphere for kids. Both of mine loved participating in the parade and limbo contest.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01705.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01706.jpg

They also did a celebration announcement where they brought out cupcakes to those celebrating events.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01712.jpg

It was then time for the famous bread pudding. Now, bread pudding is not one of my favorite things. I would never order it out. That being said, I have heard so many compliments on this version that I couldn't wait to try it. I thought it was just as good as others have said! A few bites of this was the perfect topper to the great meal.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01714.jpg

We all left with full bellies and happy hearts. I am thinking 'Ohana will need to become a yearly addition to our Disney trips.

Overall grade - A

[Steph9072]

We eventually met up with DH and DS. DH was nice enough to procure one of my favorite treats from the Pleasure Island section of DTD. I wasn't the least bit hungry but had to take a couple of bites anyway as I love these little deep-fried delacacies ;).

Doh-bar from Cookes of Dublin (AKA deep-fried Snickers bar)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01659.jpg

These pups are oh so bad for ya but just so darn yummy.

Overall grade - A



Please tell me snack credits can be used for these...I have had them at our state fair and love them

[kimgof]

Great review of Ohana. We have ADR's there for August. Never eaten there before and really looking forwar to it...thanks for the nice preview!:goodvibes

[vald1977]

Please tell me snack credits can be used for these...I have had them at our state fair and love them

DH paid oop for this so I can't say for sure, but I do think you can use a snack credit for these. I know in 2007 we used a counter service credit to eat at Cooke's and we were able to get these as our dessert credit :).

[Pooh&OurHunny]

another great update. Thanks

[vald1977]

We had an early breakfast reservation at Crystal Palace this morning so we were up early. We got to the bus stop around 7:00 a.m. and it came quickly. It was just us and one other family on the bus. The other family was going to Chef Mickey's and after the driver dropped us at the MK, he was kind enough to drop them off directly at the Contemporary. We waited with a small group to be let in the gates at 7:45 a.m. and then it was off to a nearly empty MK.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01731.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01726.jpg

We were able to take some photos with the photo pass photographer before checking in for our 8:05 a.m. reservation. While I was parking the stroller, I met up with my friend Alisa and her children. They had just arrived at WDW the night before and were ready to start their vacation :). It was so nice to see someone that I normally only get to interact with online.

It was a bit chaotic waiting to be called into the restaurant as we had the first seating of the day and there were lots of others waiting too. We didn't wait long though, maybe 15 minutes. Once we entered, we met our server, Karen, who was fantastic. She did a great job, which isn't always the case at buffet restaurants.

Piglet and Tigger were only a couple of tables away so we waited to meet them before getting some food.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01733.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01735.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01736.jpg

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We then headed up to get some yummy food. We have done this breakfast before and this time it was just as delicious. There are so many options and I have yet to find something I didn't like.

Here is my plate:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01739.jpg

The puffed french toast is soooo good. It is on the kid's section so make sure you find it ;). Also, the bacon here is so crisp. I can't stand gummy bacon and this was outstanding. Everything was hot and fresh.

Here are a few more food pictures:

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http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01750.jpg

And a couple more characters:

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http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01743.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01746.jpg

DD was also brought yet another birthday cupcake here.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01751.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01752.jpg

We just love starting a day at the MK with an early morning breakfast here.

Overall grade - A

[vald1977]

This was the first day the heat was extremely oppressive. It was hot but bearable on our other days. I don't know if it was really that much hotter or we were just tired after so many days of touring. Whatever the case, we were all feeling it.

So when DS asked for some ice cream a couple of hours after our breakfast, I said sure. We were on vacation after all.

We got this with a snack credit and split it.

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http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01760.jpg

I thought this was a nice alternative to a Mickey bar. Easy to share and much less mess ;).

Overall grade - A

[dd50]

Great CP pictures. I haven't eaten there and it isn't on the list for this time so maybe next time.

[SweetMommy]

I can't wait to eat breakfast at CP! It will be our very first ADR(hopefully, haven't made those yet lol). It looks yummy and fun :thumbsup2

[milmore104]

Great reviews and pics. Your little one is so adorable.

[Alice28]

wow- that breakfast food looks amazing!!!! :banana:

[funkenzie1]

Those Ice cream sandwiches look delicious.:worship:

[Nadjalu]

Loved your review and the pictures. Thank you for taking the time to post them. Looks like you had a fabulous time!!

[sherylcin]

I have really enjoyed reading your dining reviews. I just saw the Snicker Bar at my County Fair but couldn't quite bring myself to try it. Maybe next trip to DTD! :) We've done breakfast at the Castle but never dinner. I agree about the food though. We go there for the atmosphere (my granddaughters love the Castle) and thrill of eating in the Castle. Looking forward to reading more of your reviews. The pics are great too! Thanks!

[vald1977]

Hi Everyone! Thanks so much for reading :).

[vald1977]

After touring for a few hours in the scorching heat, we were ready for an ac break and some lunch. We were in Liberty Square because we had just finished watching Hall of Presidents. I had never seen this attraction and it was on the top of my to-do list this trip. If you haven't been, it is fabulous. I even got a bit teary-eyed. Anywho, we were over in that area so we decided to have lunch at Columbia Harbor House. My friend Robin has always highly reccomended this place and I had never tried it.

DD and I went upstairs to save a table and the boys got the food. Here are our meals.

DS got mac and cheese and fries. I think he also had a pudding as his dessert.

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DD had a pb&J, grapes, and a pudding.

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DH had the fish and fries.

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I had the chicken and fries.

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DH and I both had chocolate cake for dessert.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01771.jpg

And a pic of the honey mustard I dipped my chicken in for my friend Gemma :).

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01770.jpg

All of the food was fresh, hot and very good. We really liked sitting upstairs and stayed there for quite some time just enjoying a break from the heat.

Overall grade - A-

[vald1977]

We took the boat over to the Wilderness Lodge for our dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. It made me a bit nostalgic for our stay there. I just love that boat service to the MK. When we stayed at the WL, we had also eaten many meals at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. DD and I had ended up getting nasty cases of strep throat and after a visit to Centra Care we stuck pretty close to the resort for a few days. So, we had a couple of dinners, a lunch, and a breakfast at the WCC. Every meal was great, with dinners being the most fun. So, we were happy to go back on this trip and see if it was as good as we remembered.

We checked in for our reservation and DD settled in playing with the Lincoln Logs. After about five minutes, our buzzer went off and DD was not happy to give up her playing so soon. She was allowed to bring some of the Lincoln Logs to the table with her which I thought was very nice.

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Our waiter was "Smokin' Sam" and while he wasn't very much into the shananigins of the restaurant, he was very attentive which we appreciated. We wouldn't have minded being more a part of the fun, though ;).

DS was rather bummed when he noticed that the mac and cheese was no longer available on the kid's menu. Just a note, the menu here has shrunk significantly since our last trip :(. Sam said it would be no problem to make the mac and cheese so DS got to order it and he was a happy camper. DD got the kid's skillet with chicken and both DH and I got the all you can eat skillet.

First the cornbread came out. I don't know what it is, but I adore the cornbread at WCC! I think I ate three pieces :lovestruc . We were also served a very good salad and the kids both got fruit cups as their appetizers.

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Out came the main courses, and Sweet Lord was it delicious! Everything was piping hot and sooo good. I am especially partial to the mashed potatoes here. They are my favorite of any place at WDW and I do love me some mashed potatoes. All of the food was super though.

Here is the all you can eat skillet. It had bbq pork, ribs, and chicken along with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and baked beans.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01783.jpg

Here is DD's child's skillet.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01782.jpg

And DS's mac and cheese.

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While we were eating, the entire restaurant got up to do the hokey pokey which was cute as well as the kids did the pony ride.

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I took a picture of the dessert menu since I haven't seen it posted anywhere.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01775.jpg

I chose the deep-dish bourbon pecan pie and DH got the apple caramel pie. Both kids got vanilla ice cream. This is the one restaurant where I don't think they did anything for DD's birthday but that was just fine. How many cupcakes do you really need ;)?

Here is DH's pie. He said it was served warm and it was excellent. Sadly, I didn't try it.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01784.jpg

Here is my pecan pie. This was only okay. The bourbon flavor was quite strong. I should have gone for the chocolate cake but since we had had that at CHH earlier, I didn't feel like it again.

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Here is the kid's ice cream. Nothing special about this.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01786.jpg

We all left this meal full and happy. I am sure we will continue to eat here in the future.

Overall grade - A- (marked down only because the kid's menu has gotten pretty puny)

[T16GEM]

And a pic of the honey mustard I dipped my chicken in for my friend Gemma :).

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01770.jpg



OMG VAL!!!!! :lmao::lmao::lmao:
That is so funny! I cannot wait to get some - I have gotten through one and a half of the 3 huge bottles that Robin sent me!

[Alice28]

I'm glad you enjoyed CHH! I find it a peaceful place to be, and it helps the food is tasty too! :cheer2:

Loved the pics of WCC! It's always a pleaser for our family too. That caramel apple pie is yummy!

LOL on the HM sauce...Gemma, I think I saw it in one of my grocery stores...I need to double check on that one. That would be a lot cheaper to ship that ordering a case of it again. Hopefully when you go to FL in January, one of the grocery stores around there will stock it and you can throw a bottle or two in each suitcase! Or order a case to be shipped to your rental home! :laughing:

[vald1977]

I will preface this review by saying that they can't all be winners. Our visit to Chef Mickey's was not.

We visited Epcot this day and took the monorail over to the Contemporary for dinner.

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It used to be a family tradition for us to eat at Chef Mickey's each trip and we had always had decent food and a lot of fun. After a little shopping, we joined a good sized line to check in for our dinner. We waited about ten minutes to check in and were then taken over to get our family picture done. This came out very cute and we did purchase it later when they brought it to our table.

Our table was off to the left side of the reataurant. I've never had a table in this section but it just wasn't the same. We felt tucked away and not part of the fun. Donald came by a couple of minutes after we sat down. He was in and out in about two seconds. He barely had time to sign the kid's books.

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After Donald's visit, our server arrived and took our drink orders. This was the last we saw of her for a very long time. We all went up to the buffet. There was a small salad bar except there were no tomatoes :confused3. This was kind of odd. There was also no thousand island dressing which is my usual choice.

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Next was a kid's buffet area with the usual suspects. There were a few veggie dishes next. I tried them all. The veggie stir fry was okay, a bit on the cold side. The broccoli with cheese was terrible. Not only was it cold, the broccoli was raw. I don't remember much about the green beans. There was some mickey ravioli that I didn't even try. It just didn't look very good. Also chicken legs, a fish I think, and some sort of rice (saffron maybe?). There were the mashed potatoes that are supposed to be so good. Not so good if you ask me. They were also carving beef and pork. The beef was pretty good. I didn't try the pork. There was a couple of other dishes that escape my memory. To be honest, it really felt like food that would be served in a high school cafeteria. Most of it was not horrible, but certainly not what I expect to be served at an expensive buffet. There was also a lot of those little birds in the place. I know, I know. There is a big, gaping hole in the building. It was still kind of gross to see 4-5 little birds flying around and landing on the floor when you are eating.

Food pics:

This is my plate. That clumpy pasta dish was awful. It was cold and mushy.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01894.jpg

Dh's plate.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01895.jpg

Kid's food.
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http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01898.jpg

Our drinks had been delivered while we got our food which is always nice. The characters continued to visit and it just felt rushed and unlike the usual Disney way. Pluto was an exception to this. He was a lot of fun and took some time with the kids :).

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The did a little celebration dance number for all the celebrations about midway through our meal. We really couldn't see too much of it. DD was brought a cupcake.

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We had celebrated DS's birthday here in 2006 and he was treated like a little Prince. He got a placemat signed by the characters and they all oohed and awwed over him. I remember back then on the dining plan gratuity was included and I still left a hefty extra tip because we had such a wonderful experience and our server was so great but I digress...

Back to 2009 and our plates we stacking up. I decide to go and check out the desserts. Most of these were pretty good. I especially liked the oreos with the chocolate mousse.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01919.jpg

I am sad to say I don't think we will be returning to Chef Mickey's anytime soon :(. It could have just been an off night but there are so many wonderful choices at Disney that I don't think I will chance it again for a long time.

Overall grade - D

[Pooh&OurHunny]

We had the same experience at Chef Mickey but my son wants to go there on our next trip so I'm probably will try breakfast and hoping for a better experience. I can't wait for another update.

[dd50]

So sorry that you had a bad experience at CM. I will be going there next week for the first time and have read recently that it wasn't a good place any more.

[vald1977]

We were all curious and excited to try T-Rex at Downtown Disney so we hopped a bus and got there right for its 11:00 a.m. opening. The outside and inside of this restaurant are really cool! There is so much to look at. Here are some pictures.

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We were seated in the ice cave section. This section is really pretty as it changes colors.

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We started with a couple of appetizers and I ordered a cocktail.

My drink was a cotton candy cocktail which was served in a keepsake mixer. They did rinse it out for me also so it wasn’t all sticky. It was also garnished with a hunk of cotton candy that melted into the drink once it was served.

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We ordered mozzarella sticks which came with the traditional sticks as well as a little bit of fried cheese on the side.

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We also got an onion ring stack that was served with two sauces for dipping.

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Both of the apps were fantastic. I loved the onion rings as they were crispy and piping hot. The drink was okay. Nothing special.

Next came our entrees.

DS got mac and cheese (surprise, surprise) which came with a humongous side of waffle fries.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01957.jpg

I got a bronto burger which was single patty and it was fabulous! The toppings were and fries were great as well.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01958.jpg

DD had chicken nuggets which were served with waffle fries as well.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01960.jpg

DH got a Gigantosaurus burger. This puppy was huge! He loved it!

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After all that delicious food we were too full for dessert. I really wanted to try their version of a volcano too. I am sure we will be back on another trip to tackle it.

The kids both were looking forward to doing the build a dino so we went there next. They each picked out their dinos and an outfit.

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All in all, we loved T-Rex. The whole experience was great. I can see the place being packed later on in the day though so if you can, go early. We didn’t have to wait for anything but the place was much busier when we were leaving.

Overall grade - A

[vald1977]

Bonus review:

While we were touring the WS we stopped to share a couple of snack in France.

First was a giant chocolate cookie.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01826.jpg

And also a cup of chocolate mousse.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC01825.jpg

Both snacks were pretty good. The girl checking us out charged us a CS credit instead of snack so DH had to deal with that for a good 15 minutes. The area with the seating in the back was also very dirty.

Overall grade - B-

[vald1977]

Our last full day was spent at the MK. We had the Wishes dessert party booked so we didn't want a huge dinner but we needed a little something to tide us over. I hadn't eaten at Casey's before so we decided to grab an outside table and have some hot dogs.

Each CS meal came with a hot dog, fries, drink and a choice of cracker jacks or a pre-packaged fudge brownie.

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DH also got a cup of chili with a snack credit so we could make chili dogs.

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This meal was nothing special. The brownies were not good and we threw those out. The hot dogs were okay but kind of a waste of a CS credit if you ask me.

Overall grade - C

[vald1977]

And this brings us to my final review: the Wishes Dessert Party. I was so excited to try this.

We got to the Noodle station around 8:45 p.m. and found a HUGE line of people waiting to check in. We joined and stood, and waited, and waited, and waited some more. At 9:00 pm they had one person checking people in. Apparently, some people were allowed to check in earlier and had already received their bracelets. We were not one of these chosen few and ended up having to wait about a half an hour. Around 9:20 p.m. we were finally allowed to enter the terrace. We had to hunt for our table as they are all reserved. We found it and it was in a very nice spot with a good view of the castle.


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The lines for the dessert buffet were enormous. We joined the line and again we were waiting. I will admit, I am impatient. I don't enjoy standing in lines and found this whole process not as organized as it should have been. Once we reached the desserts themselves, at least 50 percent of the trays were already completely empty. It felt like I was racing other people to grab the
food before it was gone. This to me is unacceptable. There was not nearly enough out to for the amount of guests that were there.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC02025.jpg

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You couldn't really see the Spectro parade as many people were crowding the railings. I realize this event does not claim to give you a great view of Spectro so this to me was not a big deal. It would have been nice to see it, but I didn't want to be in the crowd up at the railing.

In this picture, you can kind of see how many people were standing at the railing:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/vald1977/DSC02034.jpg

It did look like they had a few hula hoops and such for the kids but there was nobody organizing that and I didn't see any kids go over on their own to play with the stuff.

Wishes started and it was nice to have a seat although it still felt more crowded than I expected it to be. We did have a wonderful view of Tink and loved the fireworks as always.

As for the desserts themselves, there was nothing over the top fabulous. There were some things that were decent and some that I didn't care for. I would have liked to try a few things that had disappeared before I got to the front of the buffet line.

I will say that after a while, they did come out and replenish a few of the trays but there were still a whole lot of empty ones. The drinks were good (we had the lemonade) and they did have coffee and tea available if anyone wanted it although it was way too hot for me to consider.

I won't be attending this event again if they extend it. I don't think it was worth the money and it felt very disorganized. I did way too much standing in line for my taste.

Overall grade - C-

[vald1977]

Final thoughts:

Thanks to all of you who read and relived our dining adventures with me. I think this past trip was one of the best we ever had. I can't wait until next year when we go back.

On the list for dining next year:

breakfast at Akershus
CP for dinner (and possibly breakfast too ;) )
Beaches N' Cream (a new one for us)
WCC dinner
Chefs de France for lunch or dinner

And I am sure there will be more added as we get closer.

[Jeanieblue114]

EXCELLENT trip report!
I'm new to the Dis but this is one of the best that i've read so far.

Sorry to hear about the Dessert party experience. I saw another thread about someone not enjoying because of the lack of organization and the cost with half of the items gone by the time that they got there and NO refilling. A lot of people criticized her for wanting more available, but if you pay that price for dessert, everyone paying the same price should have the same experience with the selection.
If Disney wants to cut back, then they should just provide each reserved table with a personal tray selection to sit and enjoy and get rid of the waiting in line buffet and picked over choices. (more family style than buffet with a certain amount of items per person on the reservation) and have the drinks as a buffet.
It is no more work to put out a tray on each table than to put out a lot of trays on a big table. It would be more relaxing and I think everyone would be impressed when they arrive at their reserved table with a lush display just for them to pick over.

just my two cents.

[vald1977]

Jeanie,
I completely agree with you! I would have loved for them to do a smaller selection on each table or something of the sort.

[Samandmom]

Thanks for all of your reviews. Sorry to hear about Chef Mickey's.

[Pooh&OurHunny]

thanks for the update on the wishes dessert party, sorry to hear about the experience. Thank you for sharing with us your food which I have enjoyed reading.

[Alice28]

Thanks so much Val- you did a GREAT report. I loved it!

[Jeanieblue114]

Jeanie,
I completely agree with you! I would have loved for them to do a smaller selection on each table or something of the sort.

If more people thought that my life would be so much easier...LOL!
Disney should hire me!
They already stole my Pirate 'dress up' (equivalent of Bibbity Boutique). I also suggested a Prince 'dress up'. So, expect that from them soon too..lol.

(I met some Disney cast members on a 'What would you celebrate tour' that they did around the country and they interviewed me and put me on their website. Little did I know that the Disney ears were open to my ideas!) Oh, well, it's all for my love of the mouse. :cheer2:

[irongirlof12]

fab reviews- shame about dessert party- I would have been disapointed too

[devonsmommy]

Thanks so much for sharing your reviews and pictures!

[faindrops27]

I absolutely enjoyed every moment of your trip report. This is one of the best!! Thank you very much for sharing!!:goodvibes:goodvibes

[vald1977]

Thanks for all the compliments everyone :).

[wilma-bride]

Fantastic reviews - so glad to read yet another positive review of T-Rex :thumbsup2 Many of the places you ate at we will be visiting on our next trip - I am particularly excited to try 'Ohana for the first time - your review was excellent and has me really looking forward to it so thank you.

[torsie24]

Thanks for sharing!! :) Great review

[Disneyof3]

Wow thanks for the great review of T-Rex. The pictures are amazing. All the food is making me hungry again. The dinosaurs that your kids bought. What is the price for those? Do they come with one outfit or did you have to buy the outfit seperate? My YS would love one of these.

[lovemickeyshouse]

Great job with ur reviews now want to go to Ohana twice on my trip

[HARVEYSGIRL]

I just wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying your reviews!! thanks for posting them! Now i am really hungry....

[vald1977]

Wow thanks for the great review of T-Rex. The pictures are amazing. All the food is making me hungry again. The dinosaurs that your kids bought. What is the price for those? Do they come with one outfit or did you have to buy the outfit seperate? My YS would love one of these.

I believe the dinosaur prices were between $15-22. The pink one my dd made was $18 and the blue one my ds made was $22. Each outfit was $10.

Sorry about the pics everyone. They will reset on the 18th.